Letter to John Butler and Eliza (Smith) Butler from Edward Ground

Transcription

1 Western Oregon University Digital Butler Family Letters (Transcripts) Butler Family Letters Letter to John Butler and Eliza (Smith) Butler from Edward Ground Edward Ground William Ground Follow this and additional works at: Recommended Citation Ground, Edward and Ground, William, "Letter to John Butler and Eliza (Smith) Butler from Edward Ground" (1854). Butler Family Letters (Transcripts). Paper This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Butler Family Letters at Digital It has been accepted for inclusion in Butler Family Letters (Transcripts) by an authorized administrator of Digital For more information, please contact

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6 Butler Family Letters Digital Collection Western Oregon University Archives Hamersly Library 345 N. Monmouth Ave. Monmouth, OR For permission to use, copy, and/or distribute the materials in the Butler Family Letters Digital Collection or for more information regarding this collection, please contact University Archives at or (503) Title: Letter to Brother and Sister John M. and Eliza Butler from Edward Ground (Polk County Oregon Territory) Date: March 5, 1854 Transcription: Polk County Oregon Teritory March Der brother and sister It is with that I take the presant opertunity of writing you a few lines to let yo no that we are all well at presant and I hope that these few lines may come safe to hand and find you all enjoying the saim blesing I received your letter on monday last all thoe it was written in November last and come in behind all the late news it gave me greate satisfaction to know that I had one friend in Illinois that though anough of mee to writemee a letter it is the first and only scrape of a pen I have had since I left Illinois the you wrote to your father and the one to mee Come the saim male I was very sory to heare of the inrodes the grim monster was making amongst my old friends and neighbors and from the number of cases of sicknefs at last counts I fear the news fom thare will bring tidings of more deaths but be the coseqences what thei may I am very anxious to heare from thare again next tusday brings another state male and I hope to get some more news from Ills I have nothing of importance to write to you at this time only I heard this morning that thare was a very rich gold mine discoverd in about 30 miles of my place but as for the trouth of it I cannot say neather am I excited a bout it at all before I go any further I will tell you why I skipt a page my paper is so mean that if I was to write on the oposit side you could not readit the ink runs threw so bad I supose you want to no all about the conexion we have all seteld but Tom Hutchinson he is not seteld yet and I can not tell he sometimes talks of one thing and sometimes of another Georg Duese [Deweese] bought a Claim and paid six hundred dollars for it it is a very good prarie claim thare is no timber on it except a little fire wood and but little of that Ira bought a claim and paid 9 hundred dollars neerly timber anough to suport it he does not like his place and is very homesick your father bought a claim for 2,000 dollars and gave it to Isaac so he has no claim yet Isaac Smith paid 2,000 for his claim and I supose tha have all informd you how he liked the cuntry your father and mother both are tolerably home sick tha was very well satisfied till the snow fell in January and coverd up the grass so that thare stock could not get anough to eat and evrything was so high tha could not aford to by all the necesarys tha wanted in thare old

7 agee and tha began to think how well tha was fixt in Illinois and like the isrealites of old tha began to repent that tha had everleft egipt wel I dont blame them for we have had a long gloomy winter the hardest evry says that tha have ever seen in oregon and not being lookt for made it set hard evrybody was propesying in the fall a mild open winter as the last winter was so hard and the rain in september started the grass so erly tha all said ominous of a faveable winter so if I noed the wintersin common would be as bad as the last I should be botherd to tell at this time what I should think of it to I have tryed one of the hard winters now want to try one the sumers and then and make somthing to liv on so that I wont have evrything to by then I can tell more about the cuntry I must draw to a close for want time I want you to write often give my love to all the old neighbors and friend I want you to send mee the atlas pay for it out of the old mans money and I will pay him the amount heare Elizaand the children sends thar best respects to Eliz and Children so no moreat presant but remain your untill death [to]john M Butler Edward Ground March the 5th, 1854 Dear Uncle I take pleasure in occupying thise present opportunity of writing you a few lines to inform you that we are all in tolerable health we have had no sickness since we have been here except a little cold last winter I have nothing very important to write. I will tell you something about our place which my father forgot to tell you we have got 320 acres of land situated on the Luckamute river about three miles from its mouth where it emties into the willamete we live one mile and a half of E.D. Butlers, one mile from uncle Ira's and about 7 miles from grandpaps I will give you the prices of a few articles here American mares from $2.00 to $2.50 all per head cows $75 to $100 per head pork 12 1/2 cts a pound chickens 50 cts a piece eggs 75 cts a dozen and $1 00 at salem wheat is $2.00 per bushel Oats $1 00 per bushel etc Our nearest neighbors name is Fulton but I guess he never invented the first steam boat. I believe I have nothing more of importance to write give my respecs to all enquiring friends. [to] J.M. Butler Wm. B. Ground